Long-range etymologies :

Borean (approx.) : PVLV

Meaning : leaf tree

Eurasiatic : *ṗVlV

Afroasiatic : ? Akk. bulaʔu 'firewood', Irq paʔal-mo 'board' (ND 1724)

Sino-Caucasian : *pħɨ̄́ɫV̄

Nostratic etymology :

Eurasiatic: *ṗVlV

Meaning: leaf tree

Borean: Borean

Indo-European: *p(t)el-

Altaic: *p`i̯ule

References: МССНЯ 369; ND 1724 *P_uĺ/ḷ(V)ʔV 'tree (poplar or sim.)' (+ dub. Sem. and Drav.).

Indo-European etymology :

Proto-IE: *pelew- (Gr pt-)

Nostratic etymology: Nostratic etymology

Meaning: a k. of leaf-bearing tree

Other Iranian: Osset farwe, fǝrer `Erle'

Old Greek: pteléǟ, epid. peléā f. `Ulme, Rüster'

Germanic: *filw-ō f.

Russ. meaning: дерево (лиственное)

References: WP II 84 f

Germanic etymology :

Proto-Germanic: *filwō

Meaning: willow

IE etymology: IE etymology

Old High German: fël(a)wa `Weide'

Middle High German: vëlwe wk./st. f., wk. m., vëlwer, vëlber st. m. 'weidenbaum; geflecht aus weiden zum fischgang'

German: { Felbel }

Altaic etymology :

Proto-Altaic: *p`i̯ula

Nostratic: Nostratic

Meaning: ash tree

Russian meaning: ясень

Mongolian: *hulija-sun

Tungus-Manchu: *pula

Japanese: *pari

Comments: EAS 55, KW 448, Цинциус 1984, 54, Rozycki 81. Despite Doerfer MT 23, TM cannot be borrowed from Mong. In Turkic cf. Bashk. jɨla `ash-tree' - although attested only in Bashkir, a perfect semantic and phonetic match for this root.

Mongolian etymology :

Proto-Mongolian: *hulija-sun

Altaic etymology: Altaic etymology

Meaning: ash tree, poplar, aspen

Russian meaning: ясень, тополь, осина

Written Mongolian: ulijasu(n) (L 873)

Khalkha: ulijas(an)

Buriat: uĺāha(n)

Kalmuck: ulāsṇ

Ordos: ulāsu

Dongxian: xulasun

Dagur: olēs ( < lit.), xolordan mōd

Comments: KW 448, MGCD 673.

Tungus etymology :

Proto-Tungus-Manchu: *pula

Altaic etymology: Altaic etymology

Meaning: ash tree, asp tree, poplar

Russian meaning: ясень, осина, тополь

Evenki: hula

Even: hụl

Negidal: xol

Literary Manchu: fulχa

Jurchen: fulto 'каштан' (121)

Ulcha: pụlị

Orok: pụlụ

Nanai: polo

Oroch: xulu

Udighe: xulu

Solon: ụlụ

Comments: ТМС 2, 342-343. Evk. hula, hologdan > Dag. xolordan (Тод. Даг. 177).

Japanese etymology :

Proto-Japanese: *pari

Altaic etymology: Altaic etymology

Meaning: black alder

Russian meaning: японская ольха

Old Japanese: pari

Tokyo: han-no-ki

Comments: JLTT 399.

Sino-Caucasian etymology :

Proto-Sino-Caucasian: *pħǝ̄́ɫV̄

Meaning: a k. of tree

Borean etymology: Borean etymology

North Caucasian: *pħīlV (~-ʕ-,-ɫ-,-ɨ̄-)

Sino-Tibetan: *bhū[l] (?)

Yenisseian: *ʔɨpVl

Burushaski: *phel-c ?

Basque: *es-pel

Comments and references : NSC 61 *pHVɫV, WFR 36, LDC 25.

North Caucasian etymology :

Proto-North Caucasian: *pħīlV (~-ʕ-,-ɫ-,-ɨ̄-)

Sino-Caucasian etymology: Sino-Caucasian etymology

Meaning: a k. of foliage tree

Proto-Nakh: *b(ɦ)ōl-ik (~-ʕ-)

Proto-Tsezian: *bɨle (~-i-)

Proto-Dargwa: *paIl

Notes: An irregular voicing *p- > b- in Western languages should be probably explained by the initial cluster *pħ- or *pʕ-.

Nakh etymology :

Proto-Nakh: *b(ɦ)ōl-ik (~-ʕ-)

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: grove

Chechen: bȫlak

Comments: Isolated in Chech., but having probable external parallels (cf. even a similar suffix formation in Chech. and Darg.).

Tsezian etymology :

Proto-Tsezian: *bɨle (~-i-)

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: 1 poplar 2 ash-tree 3 asp

Tsezi: beIli 1,2

Ginukh: bele 1

Khvarshi: bel (Radzhibov)

Inkhokvari: buIle 3

Comments: PTsKh *bɨIRe.

Dargwa etymology :

Proto-Dargwa: *paIl

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: asp

Akusha: paIlpaIlag

Comments: The Ak. stem is reduplicated and has a velar suffix (cf. the Nakh form). The simple form is preserved in Tsud. paIl id.

Sino-Tibetan etymology :

Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *bhū[l] (~-ɨ̄-)

Sino-Caucasian etymology: Sino-Caucasian etymology

Meaning: root, trunk

Chinese: 本 *pǝ̄rʔ root, trunk, 笨 *bǝ̄rʔ bamboo root.

Tibetan: sbun, spun stalk of a plant.

Burmese: LB *s-pVn root

Kachin: phun³ tree, bush, a stalk.

Lushai: bul, KC *bul root.

Comments: BG: Garo bor (Burling), Dimasa bon , Bodo bon firewood; Andro phol; Moshang pūl; Namsangia pan. Sh. 393, 428; Ben. 166. Cf. PAN *bua'l 'uproot a tree'.

Chinese characters :

Character: 本

Modern (Beijing) reading: běn

Preclassic Old Chinese: pǝ̄rʔ

Classic Old Chinese: pǝ̄́n

Western Han Chinese: pǝ̄́n

Eastern Han Chinese: pǝ̄́n

Early Postclassic Chinese: pǝ̄́n

Middle Postclassic Chinese: pǝ̄́n

Late Postclassic Chinese: pǝ̄́n

Middle Chinese: pón

English meaning : root

Russian meaning[s]: 1) корень; ствол; основа; основной, коренной, главный; в основном, в сущности; 2) исток, начало; первоначально, в истоке; 3) данный, настоящий; подлинный; текущий, этот; 4) мой, наш; 5) капитал, основной капитал; 6) корешок (переплета), том; счетный суффикс книг; 7) стар. докладная записка

Comments: Viet. also has a colloquial loan: vốn 'capital, funds, principal'.

Sino-Tibetan etymology: Sino-Tibetan etymology

Dialectal data: Dialectal data

Radical: 75

Four-angle index: 5292

Karlgren code: 0440 a

Vietnamese reading: ba`n

Chinese Dialects :

Number: 180

Chinese etymology: Chinese etymology

Character: 本

MC description : 臻合一上混幫

ZIHUI: 2609 2027

Beijing: pǝn 2

Jinan: pẽ 2

Xi'an: pẽ 2

Taiyuan: pǝŋ 2

Hankou: pǝn 2

Chengdu: pǝn 2

Yangzhou: pǝn 2

Suzhou: pǝn 2

Wenzhou: paŋ 21

Changsha: pǝn 2

Shuangfeng: pin 2

Nanchang: pǝn 2

Meixian: pun 2

Guangzhou: pun 21

Xiamen: pun 2

Chaozhou: puŋ 21

Fuzhou: puɔŋ 2

Shanghai: pǝŋ 3

Zhongyuan yinyun: pan 2

Yenisseian etymology :

Proto-Yenisseian: *ʔɨpVl

Sino-Caucasian etymology: Sino-Caucasian etymology

Meaning: asp tree

Ket: ɨ:ĺ / ɨ̄ĺ, pl. ɨ:ĺn³

Yug: ɨfɨl^5,6, pl. -ɨŋ⁵

Kottish: īpal, pl. īpatn

Comments: ССЕ 196. Werner 2, 434 *ɨp^hǝl.

Burushaski etymology :

Common Burushaski: *phel-c, *phal-c

Sino-Caucasian Etymology: Sino-Caucasian Etymology

Meaning: 1 a small tree with edible berries 2 a k. of tree

Yasin: phalc 2 ("große Pappelart")

Hunza: phelc 1, phalc 2

Nagar: phḗlc 1, phalc 2

Comments: Sh. phḗs ?; Sh. phálca `Pappelart'

Basque etymology :